No Causal Connection Between Sugar-Sodas, Fast Food, Candy, and Obesity

For almost everyone, there is no relationship between access to fast food and candy, and obesity.

Fast food, soft drink and candy intake is unrelated to body mass index for 95% of American adults

David Just & Brian Wansink
Obesity Science & Practice,
December 2015, Pages 126–130

Methods: Using 2007–2008 Centers for Disease Control's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the consumption incidence of targeted foods on two non-continuous days was examined across discrete ranges of BMI. Data were analysed in 2011. Results: After excluding the clinically underweight and morbidly obese, consumption incidence of fast food, soft drinks or candy was not positively correlated with measures of BMI. This was true for sweet snacks (r = 0.005, p  l.t.e. 0.001) and salty snacks (r = 0.001, p = 0.040). No significant variation was found between BMI subcategories in weekly consumption frequency of fast food meals.

Conclusions: For 95% of this study's sample, the association between the intake frequency of fast food, soft drinks and candy and BMI was negative. This result suggests that a strategy that focuses solely on these problem foods may be ineffective in reducing weight. Reducing the total calories of food eaten at home and the frequency of snacking may be more successful dieting advice for the majority of individuals.  

Made ME Cry

But then that's not hard.  Very sweet commercial.


It's making me cry again, just thinking about it. Nod to Susan L.

Less Government! (NOT)

Man, I really do dislike our Republican congress.

Democrats say they will take money from some people who earn it, and use it to bribe some other people to vote Democrat.  And then they do exactly that.  Honesty.  Sure, it's theft, but it's good honest theft, Chicago-style.

Republicans constantly whine about big government, and letting "the market" work.  But when they say "the market," they mean, "large corporations that pay us to protect them from competition."

This is one of the most egregious examples I have seen...since noon or so.  Wow.  Excerpt:


“By allowing more foreign sugar into the United States, we create unnecessary and hurtful competition.” What left-wing hater of business and free markets could have said such a thing on the House floor Friday? 

It was Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who over his nine-year career in Congress has accumulated a 93 percent rating from the American Conservative Union. On Friday, he was thundering absurdly about the danger “of becoming dependent on foreign countries for what we eat.” 

 In mid-September, Poe became one of the early co-sponsors of a bill that would have funded regular government operations on the condition that all funding for Obamacare was cut off. He proudly posted on Facebook his vote to defund Obamacare. In that fight, where Republicans lacked the votes to win or even move the ball, Poe talked the conservative talk and helped mire Congress in a lengthy shutdown that at least one poll suggests is already hurting the conservative movement's Image and helping Obamacare's popularity rebound. 

But in the fight over America's agri-socialist sugar program – a fight conservatives could have actually won with considerable bipartisan support if they'd stuck together – Poe was helping lead the charge on the wrong side. 

The Repubs call ACA socialism...when it isn't.  Then they vote FOR socialism, as soon as they get a chance, supporting our state-owned agriculture system.  

You Retard

This story is so fantastic, it's fantastic.  Here it is:

EDMONTON – A family has made its peace with Coca-Cola after discovering what appeared to be an offensive message printed on a bottle cap. 

Doug Loates had complained to the company after his daughter and her husband in Edmonton found the words “You Retard” under the cap of a bottle of Vitaminwater. Loates was initially unhappy with the company’s first attempt at an apology but says the second attempt from David Thomson, a vice-president with Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada, was more personal and he accepts it. 

The company has cancelled the promotion that paired randomly generated English and French words on the lids of bottled water. Loates found the message on the cap particularly offensive because he has a daughter who is developmentally delayed. 

A company spokesperson has explained that the problem was the word lists for each language were approved separately and that in French, “retard” simply means late.

You may recall that folks in Duke's Lit Department accepted entire papers generated using this technique.  Then, much too "en retard," they realized their mistake.

Nod and much love to most observant MK.

Wow! A Grand Game From Heaven!

I have always claimed that it is impossible to make a "national defense" argument for trade protection for U.S. sugar producers.  But this guy does just that.  And his argument....I pause with a sense of enormous respect for his courage.... his argument is that without trade protection for U.S. sugar producers, the price of sugar would be....too high!  Because there would be an OSEC (Organization of Sugar Exporting Countries, modeled after OPEC).  Seriously.  He says that.

You have got to read this for yourself.  A brilliant piece of work.  Grand Game, people!

A Conservative Case for Sugar Tariffs.

Why is there CORN in my Coke?

The lovely and talented Dr. Diana Thomas shares some extremely valuable info on sugar, and why there is corn in your co-cola.

For Those Cold UNC Football Games...

For those extra supplies you'll need at that late season UNC football game.


The police will just think that you are drinking your own urine in the stands, which is not a problem if you wait until after half-time. This will look a little strange for people who appear to be women, but those UNC fans are VERY inclusive.

You're Gonna Have to Face It, You're Addicted to Coke

Coca Cola, that is.

This boy named "Sue" is suing to claim that the evil capitalist conspirators intentionally caused him to become addicted to a sugary drink.